Trump readies for triumphant inauguration

Donald Trump will complete an extraordinary comeback on Monday (20 January) when he is inaugurated for a second term as US president, apparently stronger and more unpredictable than ever.

The 78-year-old Republican will be sworn in at the US Capitol in Washington amid high pomp and ceremony before making a triumphant return to the White House that he left in disgrace four years earlier.

The day before he will host a star-studded "Make America Great Victory Rally," reportedly featuring the world's richest man Elon Musk, and a performance by the Village People, the band behind his signature song "Y.M.C.A."

For billionaire Trump it will cap a remarkable journey that saw him defy two assassination attempts and a historic criminal conviction to seize back the presidency from Joe Biden.

Trump's official photo as the 47th US president -- and the first to be a felon -- even bears a striking resemblance to a viral 2023 mugshot taken in another criminal case.

The only thing that could spoil Trump's party is the weather, with a potentially lethal "polar vortex" threatening to make his inauguration the coldest in 40 years.

Extreme weather could force the ceremony indoors.

'Golden age'

America and the world will be watching Trump's inaugural speech at the Capitol where he will set the tone for a presidency that many expect to be even more volatile than his first.

Inauguration Day, Trump-style: What will happen?

Since the election that tone has veered between promises of a "golden age" and vows of vengeance against his enemies -- coupled with outlandish territorial threats against Greenland and Panama and promises of sweeping tariffs.

He is also expected to quickly issue executive orders on key topics including migration, and to pardon some of the pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

But the guest list for Trump's inauguration underscores how the man whose 2016 victory shocked the world has now become the new normal for American politics.

Musk and fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta will all reportedly attend, highlighting the tech moguls' efforts to court Trump.

Outgoing president Biden, 82, warned of a dangerous "oligarchy" around the top of Trump's government in a dark farewell speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday.

On his final full day in office on Sunday, the Democrat is set to visit a Black church and museum in Charleston in South Carolina while Trump is rallying in Washington.

Star guests

But much of the US business and entertainment worlds are also aligning behind Trump, following his commanding election win over Kamala Harris and a general rightward shift in politics.

Where many celebrities shunned Trump's inauguration in 2017, this time country star Carrie Underwood will sing "America the Beautiful" during the inauguration.

The Village People, who once admonished Trump for playing their music, will perform at the MAGA rally on Sunday and one of the official presidential balls on Monday night.

The rally will see Trump return to arguably his favorite part of politics -- the campaigning where he fired up huge crowds with grievance-filled speeches.

Overall the contrast could not be bigger with Trump's first swearing-in, which was largely overshadowed when his spokesman picked a row over the size of the crowd.

Things were very different four years ago too.

Trump left the White House in disgrace after the Capitol riots by protesters supporting his false claims to have beaten Biden in the 2020 election, while Biden pledged to heal post-Trump America.

Written off by many, Trump nevertheless succeeded in capitalizing on voter frustration with Biden's age, the state of the economy and record numbers of illegal migrants to secure his comeback.

The challenge now is for Trump, who will be the oldest person in US history to be sworn in as president, to deliver.

He will enter the White House with higher ratings than his last term, according to a CNN poll, but must hope the US economy stays positive.